FINAL BILL REPORT

SSB 6463

                               C 7 L 90

BYSenate Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Saling, Rinehart, Smitherman, Bauer, Stratton, Talmadge and Johnson)

Granting a greater voice to students in recommending budgets for services and activities fees.

Senate Committee on Higher Education

House Committe on Higher Education

SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

BACKGROUND:

Services and activities fees are statutorily defined to mean fees which are charged to all students and are used to fund student activities and programs.  These fees are also dedicated to repaying bonds and other indebtedness for facilities such as dormitories, hospitals, infirmaries, dining halls, parking facilities, and student, faculty and employee housing.

Legislation enacted in 1980 gave students an assured role in proposing budgetary recommendations to their college or university administration for the expenditure of services and activities fees.  The legislation required the creation of a services and activities fees committee, with the majority of members to be students chosen by the school's student government.

In 1986 the Legislature revised the services and activities fee budget process so that the students were given the responsibility for proposing initial budget recommendations to both the school administration and the governing board.  Under these revised procedures, the services and activities fee committee submits its budget recommendations to the administration with informational copies provided to the governing board.  If the administration responds with different recommendations, that response, together with supporting documentation, must be given to the committee and the board.

If the committee and the administration do not agree, they are to make a good faith effort to resolve disputes before submitting final recommendations to the governing board.  The governing board makes the final decision on the adoption of the services and activities fee budget.

Student representatives from the state institutions of higher education maintain that since the funds for the services and activities fees budgets are provided by the mandatory student fee, the students should have a greater voice in the budget process for these funds.

SUMMARY:

It is the intent of the Legislature that students have a strong voice in recommending budgets for services and activities fees.

The guidelines established for the funding of programs supported by services and activities at state colleges and universities are changed as follows:

Students will be assured the opportunity to address the governing board before decisions on services and activities fees budgets are made.  The services and activities fee committee members will have the opportunity to negotiate with the governing board before the board acts to fund, or increase the budget for, any item that is not contained in the budget recommended to the board by the services and activities fee committee.

The governing board shall give priority consideration to student desires in budget areas that do not impact the stability of programs affecting students, pre-existing contractual obligations, or bond covenants.

The services and activities fee committee has the responsibility for proposing program priorities and budget levels directly to the governing board, rather than through the college administration.  The committee will also provide its recommendations to the college administration.  The student membership of the committee must represent a broad spectrum of student interests and organizations.  The committee must provide an opportunity for all viewpoints to be heard at a public hearing during its consideration of the funding of student programs.

The college administration will make proposed program priorities and budget level recommendations to the services and activities fee committee in a timely manner to allow for adequate review.

In the case of disputes between administration recommendations and the services and activities fee committee recommendations, the committee and the administration will meet in a good faith effort to resolve the dispute.  Should the two parties be unable to resolve the dispute, a dispute resolution committee shall be formed within 14 days to meet in a good faith effort to resolve the dispute.  The dispute resolution committee will be made up of two nonvoting advisory representatives of the college administration, three voting members from the governing board, and three student representatives of the services and activities fee committee (all voting members).  A fourth student representative of the services and activities fee committee shall be nonvoting and serve as chair of the dispute resolution committee.  The dispute resolution committee will decide all disputes by vote.  In the case of a tie the chair of the committee shall vote to decide the issue.

Disputes regarding subsequent transfers of budgeted services and activities fees shall be directed to a dispute resolution committee.

The governing board may take action on any parts of a services and activities fee budget not in dispute in accordance with customary budget time lines.  The board shall consider the results of the dispute resolution committee and take final action on the budget.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

     Senate   45    0

     House 97  0

EFFECTIVE:June 7, 1990